“(1) The actual amount of energy expended by the riders was nearly identical for both modes: electric-assist and manual.

“(2) The biggest difference was in the time it took to complete the circuit; on average riding the eBike took around 1 minute less than in the non-electric mode.

“(3) Significantly, all the riders rated their perceived exertion (RPE) using the ACSM’s scale as being easier using electric mode made. If riding the bike in manual mode was rated 15, riding it in pedal-assist mode was a 10. That’s a huge difference in rider perception between the two modes.”

2009 Hebb Electroglide 500 Diamond frame. 500 watt motor, 14 amp battery. Use throttle control while pedaling at 20 mph for over 20 miles. Use as dependable, clean 8-cent-a-day commuter bike or as RV transportation. Always under dealer’s care. Crank assembly and rear cogs and gears completely replaced in January. Battery replaced two years ago and should last a recreational rider a life time. Motor replaced three years ago under warranty.https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/4933289128.html

There ought to be a way to Yelp police departments. This is as close as Veggie Biking can get.

Facts:

The Veggie Biker waved at a Buena Park policeman while bicycling west on Crescent, east of Beach. The shaved-headed officer glared back from behind his Foster Grants. His vehicle, in which he was making a u-turn in a side street intersection, looked like the Dodge Magnum above. Bad day?

A minute later, 9:36 a.m., the Veggie Biker was passed rapidly by a silver compact sedan, which was much closer than 3 feet. The new Bicycle Buffer Zone Law requires California drivers to stay at least 3 feet away when passing bicyclists.

AB1371 went into effect Sept. 16. The previous law required a driver to keep a safe distance when passing a bicyclist but did not specify how far that was. At least 22 states and the District of Columbia define a safe passing distance as a buffer of at least 3 feet.

As the silver compact was passing, the Veggie Biker saw the Buena Park police car one lane over, and just behind the silver compact. The Veggie Biker pointed at the speeding silver compact as the officer passed. However, the officer not only went on by, but ultimately passed the silver compact. He continued on toward Beach Boulevard where he waited for the light and made a left-hand turn. The silver compact made a right-hand turn.

The Veggie Biker is sure the officer will say he had more important things to worry about than bicycles. Or just did not see the violation. The silver compact driver will say he or she did not know about the law. All could be true., particularly the latter.

A telephone call to the number listed for the captain’s desk at the Buena Park Police Headquarters went to a secretary’s voice mail. Veggie Biking saw no reason to leave a message at this time. There is no email one can easily access on the BPPD website.

Questions:

Have Buena Park police been trained to enforce the 3-foot bicycle buffer zone law? Or do they reflect their leaders’ disdain towards bicycle commuting?

Basically, you rent a bike, ride it to the next rental station, and leave it. It has been proven effective in such large cities as Denver and Washington, D.C.

The are many questions that are not answered in this poster or the website. Here are some of the answers from OCTA BikeLink and other sources you need to understand the potential value of BikeLink in your life.

There are said to be 10 stations initially planned in Fullerton: Fullerton Train Station, Fullerton City Hall Complex, Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton College and College Plaza Shopping Center. But that’s only five stations on the list; and the map only shows eight stations.

During the two-year pilot program, BikeLink bikes will operate only within the city of Fullerton.

Meanwhile, Bike Nation, a Tustin-based company, which is the company it appears is installing the bikes in Fullerton (it is never stated clearly), has installed 10 kiosks and 100 bikes in Anaheim. Initial reviews from Veggie Biking audience members say that system is less than satisfactory.

BikeNation’s 4,000-bike Los Angeles bike sharing program is reported by the Los Angeles Times to be on hold until a financial backer or an advertising program can be found to augment the program’s, rental fees.

There is no mention of reciprocity between the Fullerton and Anaheim systems. So you cannot, it appears, take bikes from one city to the other, a natural thing for college students to do.

You can buy a one-day or seven-day Fullerton Bikelink Access Pass* from any OCTA BikeLink station. It appears you must use a credit card for this, as a $100 refundable deposit is placed on the card every time you rent a bike. Can you charge a trip using your smartphone as in Washington, D.C., or do you have to use the Kiosk?

A BikeLink Access Pass ranges from $5 for a one-day Pass to $12 for a seven-day pass.

The first 30 minutes of riding on every trip is free.

If your trip is longer than 30 minutes you will be charged overtime fees (see pricing).

Or you can buy an annual pass which gives you an annual membership card with which you can simply tap the kiosk and remove a bicycle.

Annual memberships are available for purchase online.

If there are no empty docks, go to the kiosk, swipe your credit card and you will receive a 15-minute credit. You will then be directed to the nearest station with empty docks. (Do you get a free bus pass to get back to where you wanted to be?)

However, there is no mention of using the smartphone Spotcycle app which gives information for over 40 cities world wide, including Long Beach.

The bicycles have easy adjusting seat posts with calibration marks to ensure the right seat height for you every ride. The bicycles also have step-thru frames for ease of use and low center of gravity.

All the bicycles have baskets in the front for your personal belongings.

DO NOT ABANDON YOUR CHECKED-OUT BICYCLE IF IT DOESN’T WORK!, warns OCTA. It remains your responsibility until properly returned. Return and lock it at the dock and push the red mechanics button on the dock.You can return the bike at any of the stations located in the city of Fullerton. Simply put the bike into any available dock, wait for the green light to blink to make sure it locks and you are done until your next ride. (Is there a pick-up service such as the bike rental shops provide?)

Call the OCTA Bikelink 24-hour Customer Service Center at 800.980.7942 if you have any questions.

OCTA asks you share this information a friend or associate. If you want questions answered in person, you can bike to the Orange County Transportation Authority, 550 S. Main St., Orange, CA, 92863-1584.

The Veggie Biker replaced a busted taillight with the Bicygnals tail light and turn signal system. The control unit with headlight and turn signal are on the front handle bars. The rear light and turn signal mounts on the seat post.They are connected wirelessly.

Of course, what the veggie guy really wanted was the wireless lights, turn signals and brake light system. But only a few prototypes have been released and are hard to get. You can find wired systems.

The Bicygnals two units nestle together in a small pouch in your brief case. When you are ready to ride, take the front and back units apart, turn each on, watch them blink a few times to indicate they are synched, then snap them onto their handlebar and seat mounts. They snap off easily, too.

Only small problem: The turn signal blinks about 65 times, then turns itself off. A great help 90 percent of the time. However, in a long lane of left-turning traffic, the signal will turn off just as you face off with the car across the intersection.

However, this modest $20,000 effort has earned bicyclists and pedestrians approximately 1-2 percent of the total U.S. transportation budget.

But cyclists in New York City have decided to get serious. StreetsPAC writes on its web site, “StreetsPAC supports candidates who demonstrate unwavering devotion to the expansion of traffic-calming infrastructure such as neighborhood slow zones, pedestrian plazas, and bike lanes; increased and improved transit access for all New Yorkers; more thorough crash investigations; and better enforcement of traffic laws.”

Change can be made more effectively at the lowest levels of government is the theory of the group, who distributes questionnaires to all candidates.

Doug Gordon, identified as a leader of StreetsPAC, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying, “”Your local City Council person may have more influence on safety and enhancement of your neighborhood’s streets than the mayor. If I see a street corner that I feel is dangerous in my neighborhood, I don’t call the mayor’s office first. I call my City Council members.”

Customer parking is not a problem for Josh, who sets up his George’s Big Dogs hotdog and bratwurst stand four days a week outside Milwaukee’s National Hardware. The amateur kickball team member offers a grilled dog and toasted bun on his gas grill. Of course, he has three kinds of mustard and sauer kraut. His stand is next to two sign posts where customers lock up to grab lunch and shop in the hardware.

Almost every sign post in downtown Milwaukee has a bicycle locked to it.

If every sign post is going to be a bike rack, Milwaukee decided they should be good bike racks.

Seriously! So the city embraced the obvious and has made many downtown sign poles bike racks.

National Hardware provides the Veggie Biker with all sorts of devices for adapting cameras to bicycles. One can find all the pieces to construct an apartment bicycle rack.

Men in coats and ties pedal down the streets and pull up to the nearest sign post, lock up, and go inside businesses. Of course, downtown is full of students from Marquette University, Wisconsin University and the School of Engineering commuting effortlessly up the hills and across the river bridges.

Of course, some poles seem to have bicycles permanently attached. There are bicycles that appear not to have been moved in months. Others, slowly disappear over time as parts are stripped away. However, the Veggie Biker observed the U-Lock and a cable meant never having to worry when you find your very own sign-post bike rack.

This forgotten bike has to be pivoted around the sign post each week by the person mowing the parkway. The basket if filled with empty cans and coffee cups.

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About Us: A spandex-free zone

Veggie Biking is a news site for people who use bicycles in their everyday lives. We don't get dressed up to go bicycling. We get dressed up to commute to work, or dress down to go to the store. The publisher, Robert R. Mercer, can be contacted at r2mercer@veggiebiking.com.